Magickal Mugwort for 3 Day Walkers

Did you know that Roman soldiers once put the herb Mugwort in their sandals to relieve aching feet on long journeys? Legend claims that the Romans planted Mugwort on roadsides, so that passing soldiers might pick it at will on long marches to soothe their sore feet. Some herbalists still recommend it in footbaths to invigorate tired feet.

Recommended Use for 3 Day Walkers: Place mugwort in your shoes to gain strength and to protect your feet from fatigue during your 60 mile walk. I'm just sayin'. =)

Thank you all for your support! I've officially surpassed my goal of raising $3,000 in my fundraising to fight breast cancer for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure! Next weekend, I'll be walking 60 miles to raise awareness with my fellow Pink Warriors.

Fight Breast Cancer & Save the Environment All at Once!

I am so close to reaching my goal of $3,000 for my 3 Day fundraising! With your minimum donation of $10, I'll send you all three of these great totes so that you can help raise awareness whenever you use them. Just go to my personal page at the 3 Day website to make your donation & let me know here so that I can be sure to send these off to you.

Hope you're having a great weekend! I am: I'm walking. =)

Raise Awareness While You Drive

This evening, I'd like to feature the classic Find the Cure Pink Ribbon Car Magnet! With your donation to my fundraising for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure, I'll send you this car magnet so that you can help raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer every time you drive.


I'm 17 days away from walking 60 miles & less than $400 away from raising $3,000! All funds raised will go toward breast health programs, research grants, and education. Won't you help me make a difference? Just go to my personal donation page and I'll send you this magnet!

Here's mine in action:
Bikers Raising Awareness is the amazing group of women that I've walked countless training miles with and we'll be walking the big 60 miles together, too. The oval magnet says 60 in 3 since we're walking 60 miles in 3 days and was designed by the amazing Julie (aka @knittingbagel on twitter).

Help Me Raise $3,000 to Fight Breast Cancer!

Hello lovely readers! No, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth but I feel like I've been walking all over it! Actually, I have been walking a lot which is why I haven't been around here much. When I'm not at work lately, I'm walking. Walking to find a cure, that is. Since I registered for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure, I've walked 442 miles, raised awareness at numerous public events, and garnered a whopping $2,588 to go to the fight against breast cancer!!

October is, of course, Breast Cancer Awareness month. The most important thing you can do this month is take care of yourself: eat right, get exercise, schedule a mammogram, remember to do your monthly self exam. The idea here is prevention.

I also only have 19 days left until the 3 Day! Crazy to think that in 19 days I'll be starting my 60 mile journey. There are quite a few personal reasons, but I don't think I'll be able to participate in this amazing walk again next year so I'd like to make my mark this time around. I want to raise $3,000!! There are a few ways you can help me do that:

-Let people know what I'm doing! Spread the word and send them to my donation page.

-Check out my Pink Warrior Collection. Thanks to Blue Buddha Boutique who very generously donated all jump rings, ALL proceeds from the purchase of each item goes straight to my fundraising. Plus, for the rest of the month, you will receive a FREE silicone awareness bracelet with each purchase.

-Every couple of days, I'll be posting a new Pink Ribbon goody. All you have to do is make a minimum donation of $5 and I'll mail you the featured item. Quantities are limited so make sure you grab 'em while you can!

-And, of course, you can make a straight donation. Or you can see if your company will do matching gifts. Or you can make a donation in a few installments. There are so many options!


Today's Pink Warrior goody is this fabulous Find the Cure Pink Lanyard.
If you're a 3 Day walker, it's perfect for carrying your credentials at the event. All you have to do is go to my donation page and make a minimum (yup, I'll take more!) donation of $5 and I'll mail it to you (make a comment here so I know to send it). I only have three left, so don't wait!!



And lastly, the 3 Day folks do something really cool for us walkers. They set up a post office at camp. Yup, not only am I walking 60 miles, but I'm also camping during those 3 days. In a hot pink tent. Anyway, I'd love to hear from you!! Card of encouragement, a letter of motivation... I'm not going to lie to you: walking 60 miles is exhausting and a little bit of support goes a long way! If you'd like to send me some love, it must be postmarked by October 19!! You can write to me here:

3-Day for the Cure
ATTN: Janine Vanderhoff
P.O. Box 41611
St. Petersburg, FL 33743

Thank you all so much for your support!!

The Pink Warrior Chain Maille Collection

About a month ago I had made a very special announcement about my fundraising for the 3 Day: the insanely talented mailler Rebeca Mojica of Blue Buddha Boutique agreed to provide me with literally thousands of pink jump rings. This was an amazing sponsorship for me because I've admired Rebeca and her work for a very long time so I'm thrilled to be able to work with her, but also because her generosity will allow me to donate ALL proceeds from the sale of items in the Pink Warrior Chain Maille Collection to Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure!

This year, the 3 Day is using the song Pink Warrior by Candy Coburn as their theme song. The warrior woman in me was inspired to combine my passion to find a cure with my love of chain maille (the armor of warriors past). My goal with Athena's Armoury is to equip your inner warrior with chain maille to bring out your strength and confidence. Whether you are undergoing chemo, have won the battle, are supporting a loved one, know someone who has lost the fight, or are standing up to have your voice heard... you have the heart of a warrior.


I'm thrilled to share with you the beginnings of the collection. There will be a few pieces in the collection that will be remade after they sell, but there will also be many one of a kind items that once they sell they are gone. It's important to me to include these unique items as a reminder that every situation and every person dealing with breast cancer is unique and have their own battle to face. There are many more pieces coming in the future; including more jewelry and accessories, but also housewares like candle holders and dream catchers.


All items are available in both Athena's Armoury on Etsy as well as Artfire.


And if you haven't checked it out yet, don't miss my handmade raffle benefiting the 3 Day! All you have to do is check out all of the amazing goodies that have been donated, buy tickets (aka: make a donation), and then let me know about it. Easy peasy.

Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team Charity Event

I am a proud member of the Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team: it is a fantastic group full of friendly and supportive as well as amazingly talented fantasy artists. Right now, we're trying to support one of our team members who is going through an extremely trying time. Nora of the Etsy shop Nora Blansett has undergone some very serious surgeries and continues to undergo treatment and further surgery. It is hard to explain just how much she has been through without disclosing details, but suffice to say my heart goes out to her and her family.

A long, long time ago, our team endeavored to do a round robin project. We had two teams working on two separate fairy dolls: a Light Doll and a Dark Doll. We decided that we wanted to auction off the Dark Doll (I contributed a chain maille breastplate to her) in honor of Nora. All proceeds from the sale of the Dark Doll will go straight to Nora to help pay her doctor's bills. Right now, the Dark Doll is getting some finishing touches put on her by a team member, but once she's done, I'll post some pictures and tell you how you can place a bid.

In the meantime, the amazingly talented Valorie of Battlemaiden Studios has done an original watercolor called Brief Respite which is currently up for auction at her blog. The auction will end at 11:59PM July 15th. At that time, Valorie will list the painting in her Etsy shop for sale to the high bidder. Shipping to the US is $5. To win, just comment at her blog with your bid. Be sure to check back and make sure you haven't been out-bid. Be sure to include your E-mail address so she can contact you if you're the high bidder. Want to contribute, but can't necessarily afford an original? You can also buy a print or bookmark from the Nora Section of Battlemaiden's Etsy shop.

Thank you so very much in advance!

For a Good Cause: Charity Gems

I just listed in my Beach Bum Creations Etsy shop, my first charity item. It is the Think Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelet. All profits from the purchase of this bracelet will go to benefit Susan G. Koman for the Cure.

There are earrings to match coming as well as other items to benefit other great causes. Check back soon!